The English author Arnold Bennett said, “Any change, even change for the better, is accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.” This is a quote that should speak to fleet managers upgrading their vehicles with collision avoidance systems. Yes, the move will likely make yourdrivers safer andsave you money but how do you prove that to your drivers and management?

Mobileye, for one, recommends that fleet managers, begin the transition with a pilot program. Through the pilot, drivers will get to know, and hopefully trust, the system, while fleet management will see the benefits and learn how to use the data now available to them.

A pilot program usually starts with the fleet manager, working with a Mobileye representative, selecting a number of vehicles and drivers to participate in the program. In order to gather clear data from the pilot, these vehicles should preferably be driven by one driver and travel at least 100 miles a week. The drivers will also have to attend driver training – it may be helpful to offer a nice incentive for participants.

In the first part of the pilot, which typically lasts four weeks, the Mobileye collision avoidance system, along with telematics will be installed on the pilot vehicles. However, the system will work in stealth mode during this four-week period. This means the system will be recording data but the driver will not receive alerts. For instance, if a vehicle changes lanes without signaling, the system will record the incident but not alert the driver. This will establish a baseline, letting you understand how your drivers behave without the alerts provided by a collision avoidance system.

After working in stealth mode, there is a short transition period, where drivers receive a Mobileye training session on an unmuted system. This includes briefings on what each of the alerts means and how to react. Finally, drivers are taken out on a test drive to get to know the system.

Now the pilot moves to active mode. During this four-week period the system is fully functional, drivers receive alerts and the alert information is recorded. While the pilot is running, fleet management will receive a weekly report with all the data that has been collected, all in accordance with applicable law. Fleet managers can, at their discretion, review this data with drivers both as individuals and as a group. Here, positive reinforcement can play an important role – perhaps prizes for best driver and most improved driver, but this is left for the fleet management’s discretion.

At the end of the pilot, fleet management will receive a full report, comparing driver behavior before and after the pilot as measured by the number of alerts triggered. For instance, you may see a drop in headway monitoring alerts, showing that drivers are keeping safer distances from the car in front of them or a drop in lane departure warnings indicating drivers are making sure to signal before changing lanes and paying attention to lane drift. A successful pilot will show improved in driver behavior.

Want to find out how much safer your fleet and drivers can be? Contact aMobileye rep for a demo and details on how to set up a pilot program for your fleet.